Review of Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire (2009) by Muhammad K — 10 Jul 2012

Well made drama from debut director Lee Daniels. The dream sequences are well integrated on screen with the horror which ignites them. Still this is standard story telling exercise, the real talking points are the performances.

When is a performance a source for acting, various award winning performances have defined the word of actor, recently Daniel Day Lewis in ?There Will Be Blood? and Jamie Fox ?Ray?.

In order to be accounted as a performance the person needs to show a difference in personality to display character. As great as Gabourey Sidbe is as the lead, the young girl on the streets of Harlem trying to find a voice, and build a life round her abusive mother and troubled school life. Without belittling the actress her performance is no better or worse than a performance from say the television show ?The Wire? from the street kids, an everyday person you will pass on the street. Strong but natural all the same and many young woman could adlib a performance such as this. Not taking anything away from the actress but her performance as well as a number of other performances in the film stretch the definition of acting. This is important as 90% of the film is subjected to the young lead, the title ?Precious? is the girls name, that you have to really feel for the character, which you do but its an everyday approach, the point I guess but can leave the viewer cold.

The real standout performance is from the mother played with real nasty menace from Mo?Nique the closing scene of her and a social worker is just as powerful as anything before it.

Overall a hard watch and a hard sell. The film is powerful and well made but can be drawn out, also could be seen as slightly exploitive. The abrupt ending also leaves the film with mixed messages.